


Not Your Typical Pregnancy

by liemai



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Awesome Donna Noble, Bonding, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love, Marriage Proposal, Mpreg, Romance, Rose is supportive and awesome, Season/Series 03, Season/Series 04, Short Chapters, Telepathy, The Doctor and Rose love each other very much, The Doctor is high on hormones, and are total dorks about it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2020-07-29 04:33:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 16,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20076214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liemai/pseuds/liemai
Summary: The Doctor has some life changing news to tell Rose.





	1. The Test

The Doctor stares owlishly at his feet, mind still reeling, working far too quickly for his own good. This was bad. So, so, so very bad! What would Rose do when he tells her? What would she say? Would she leave him? Yell at him? Be disappointed? All of the above? Is this what human women have to go through? 

Cruel. That's what this is. Cruel! 

The Doctor waits for a few more minutes for the test— a long stick-like thing with a pink top— to finish. Both his hearts are pounding, and he momentarily fears that Rose might hear it- the unnatural thump-thump-thump of his twin organs. 

Wrong. It sounds wrong. So, so very wrong. 

“Doctor?” 

The Doctor squeaks, nearly jumping out of his skin. “Yes?”

“Doctor, how much longer are you going to be in,” Rose calls, and he imagines her leaning against the door, arms crossed, with her pretty pink lips pressed into a pout. 

“J-just give me a mo.”

His voice quivers, and he wishes he were braver. The pregnancy test still resting on the sink counter finally dings, and the Doctor is forced to look. He inches towards the thing, begging to all the Gods (even if he doesn't believe in them) for a negative. 

Slowly, one line appears, and for a moment, the Doctor is relieved… but then, a second line accompanies the first, and just like that, the Time Lord is sinking to his knees, shaking. 

“Doctor?”

Rose was calling him again. She sounds concerned, and probably already felt something amiss, what with the way he's acting. The Doctor wills himself to stand, pocketing the pregnancy test, and walks out, meeting the wide, whiskey-colored eyes of his wonderful companion. 

“Rose, we need to talk.”

  
  



	2. Telling Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose finds out

Rose sits on their bed (it use to be the Doctors, but after they finally got together, it became theirs), waiting patiently. 

The Doctor fiddles with his long manly fingers, anxiously rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. His tongue feels heavy, his hands feel far too warm, and while Time Lords didn’t sweat (superior biology!) his forehead feels oddly damp, with strands of hair sticking to it. 

“Doctor?” Rose asks, reaching out to hold his hand. “What’s wrong?” 

She's worried, her calm patience quickly melting away into concern. It made the Doctor whimper, and it’s as if his legs had a mind of their own because he’s suddenly falling to his knees, head tucking into Rose’s lap. This was so humiliating. 

Rose leans forward, fingers already running through his hair in a way that she hopes is both calming and soothing. It prompts The Doctor into mumbling something.

“You're going to have to repeat that, dear.”

More mumbling.

Rose bites her lip and scrapes her nails near his ear, a sensitive spot she discovered a week after traveling with him. “Still have no idea what you said.”

“Mh franant.”

“Your what?”

“I’m pregnant!”

Oh.

Oh?

… 

  
Wait. _ What? _


	3. The (sort of) Talk

Rose feels her brain short circuit.

How? What? When? _How??? _

Wasn't she the one supposed to be getting pregnant and not the other way around? How was this even possible? _Was_ this even possible? Well, yes, apparently, because it’s happening right now! 

No. Wait. This is probably just a dream brought on by hormones and, and adrenaline and... There's just no way the Doctor, a bloody Time Lord, a _male_, is currently carrying her child (fetus? Is it even a child yet? Is that the right thing to call it?). 

“Rose? Rose, please say something.” The Doctor's pleading brings her back down to Earth. 

She blinks. 

Once. 

Twice. 

And finally, she’s seeing the blurry, fearful eyes of her Doctor. His hands are shaking, clinging to her legs, and he’s biting his lower lip so hard that Rose fears he might draw blood. 

“Um…” What to say? What to say? “When?”

“Now. Just- in there. I haven't been feeling well and-” He flounders. “I picked up a test. Just took it.” He fishes into his transdimensional pockets and pulls out the test. It’s positive. Two lines. Staring right at her. 

Rose swallows. “I… oh.” She really has no idea what to say. What does one say when their partner comes to them and announces, out of the blue, such a life-changing event? “I-I thought you said it was ‘highly unlikely’. Different species, not totally compatible.”

The Doctor tugs at his hair. “I know! Rose, I know! You think we’d be in this situation if I had known that there was even a slight chance of this happening!”

Rose reels back, not expecting the outburst, her eyes wide and staring. The Doctor instantly feels terrible, and his grip is back on her legs, almost as if he’s trying to make sure she doesn't run out of their room and back to her precious London. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean- I’m sorry, Rose. Please, I’m so sorry.” 

“N-no, no, it's okay.” And she means it. She’s not mad, just… confused (and shocked. She’s still very, very, _very_ shocked). “Your stressed.”

“So are you.”

“I- I mean, not as much as you are.” Rose awkwardly shrugs. When the Doctor remains stiff, she opens her arms and he falls into the embrace, holding her to him. “It’s okay,” she whispers, pressing her lips to his hair. “It’s going to be okay.” 

“How? How can you say that when, when I’m…” He lets his voice trails off, refusing to say it again. 

  
Rose quickly tries to think of something reassuring. Something like; we’ll get through this, this isn't the end of the world, _we’ll make it through this_. She should have said at least one of those things. Instead, the thing that comes out of her mouth is: “what are we going to tell my mum?”


	4. Telling Jackie

Jackie Tyler was surprised when both Rose and The Doctor show up at her door late one Sunday evening. They rarely stop by, too busy off saving the bleeding universe to even spear her a meager phone call. So the impromptu visit is, while appreciated, is a bit suspicious. 

It becomes even more so when her daughter pulls her aside and starts asking questions. Odd questions. Questions a twenty-year-old should not be asking. 

“Mum, when you found out about, well, me, how old were you?”

Jackie sends a glare at The Doctor, who’s fidgeting back at the dining table. 

“Mum.”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“_ Mum.” _

“I was too young. That’s all you need to know. Now, you're going to answer some of my questions, young lady. Don’t give me that face- you tell me, are you pregnant?”

Rose turns a little red, and glances down, but before she can correct her mother, Jackies already flying into the dining room, pointing and accusing the Doctor of ‘corrupting her little girl.’ Rose wasn't fast enough to stop her. 

“Oh, I knew you two where shaggin’, I just thought you were smart enough to use protection! My god, Doctor, she’s only twenty years old! And you,” Jackie turns her glare onto her daughter. “Thought I raised you better. Thought you were smart enough to be--”

“Mum! Stop.” 

“Don’t you speak to me like that. I’m the one who’s supposed to be mad, not you.”

“I’m not pregnant!”

Just like that, all the fight drains from Jackie’s shoulders. “You… what? But- well then why were you askin’ all those things?” 

Rose glances over to The Doctor, who’s still clutching his cuppa, hands shaking. He’s scared, obviously. Who wouldn't be after one of Jackie Tyler's outburst? Rose takes a deep breath, forces her nerves to calm, and moves to put a hand on her Time Lords tense shoulder. “Mum, it's not me.”

It takes a minute. Jackie glances between the two people (well, person and alien) in her kitchen. Her daughter's questions, The Doctor being oddly quiet, the sudden visit... “Oh don’t tell me.”

Rose awkwardly nods. “It’s him.” She affirms. 

“Oh my god.”

“Mum.”

“Oh my _ god.” _

“Mum!” 

“What?”

“Stop it.”

Rose gestures to the Doctor, and Jackie notices, for the first time, how tired and drained he looks. Her yelling when she thought her daughter was… oh, that probably didn’t help any. Rose’s mother takes a deep breath and sits down, holding her cup of cold tea. 

“So, when did you find out?”

Rose does most of the talking, keeping one arm intertwined with the Doctor’s, holding his hand. But even after all of that, Jackie's still trying to wrap her mind around the situation. 

When it comes time to leave, Jackie asks to talk to The Doctor. Alone. 

The Doctor looks panicked, clinging to Rose’s hand, and it takes multiple soothing words from the blonde by his side before he agrees to stay. “I’ll just be in the TARIDS,” Rose promises, kissing his cheek, before leaving. 

They sit on the couch, a few feet apart from each other, and it’s Jackie who starts the conversation. 

“I’m not going to bite your head off,” She says, “I just want to know what you plan on doing.”

“We’re still trying to figure it all out.”

“You’re shagging my daughter.”

The Doctor squeaks. “I- it's not- I don’t shag!”

“Coulda fooled me.”

“Jackie!”

“Oh button it, you.” She sighs. “Look, I don’t know how all _ this _is going to work out- oh don’t pout, I swear, you're just as bad as my Rose. Now, I can’t say I approve and don’t think I’m done with all the askin', but I don’t hate you.”

The Doctor glances up so quickly, Jackie worries his head might pop off. “You don't?”

“No, you plum. My daughter loves you, an’ now you're carryin’ her child— blimey, that’s weird to say. Makes you part of the family though, don’t it.”

The Doctor blinks, and suddenly, there’s something warm and wet sliding down his freckled cheeks. Jackie nearly topples over. 

“Oh my god, your cryin’!”

“Hormones,” the Doctor mumbles, wiping at his eyes. 

“I should know, I’ve been where you are,” the older woman says, before enveloping the flustered alien into a tight hug. “And if you break my baby's heart, I’m going to kill you.”

For the first time that evening, the Doctor laughs. 


	5. The Unexpected Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donna comes into the story in a blaze of Huon Particle glory

“Rose?”

Rose sat on the jump seat, legs swinging, reading one of her alien magazines when the Time Lord came back onboard. He sends the TARDIS into the Vortex, and after his private talk with Jackie, he’s determined to ask Rose the big question. The question he’s been avoiding ever since finding out about… _ it. _The question neither of them were brave enough to talk about before. 

Rose glances up, and her hair looks so soft, he suddenly wants to touch it. “Ya?”

“I, I need to ask you something very important, and I need you to be very, very honest with me.”

The intensity of his voice has Rose straightening her back, magazine forgotten. “Doctor?”

“Your mother and I talked.”

“Oh god. Listen, whatever she said--”

“No, no. It’s okay,” He reassures her, “We sorted everything out. Well, sorted most things out. Well, sorted a few things out. Well…” He tugs on his ear. 

Rose smiles. “So am I to assume crisis averted?”

“For now, yes. I believe we are safe.”

“Good. What did you want to ask me?”

“The… child. I was thinking that, maybe, if you want, that we could possibly keep it. The TARDIS has room. Large, my ship. And she could watch over it when we’re off saving the universe. Running for our lives. Being brilliant!”

The Doctors babbling, but Rose is hardly listening. Her mind stops working after he practically tells her he wants to keep the baby. The baby she helped make. He wants it! He actually wants it? Something as domestic as having a child? They— oh god, they aren’t even properly married. 

“Rose? Roooose? Rose, please say something.”

“I, um, I-“ Rose takes a moment to compose herself, breathing in and out, in and out. “Y-you really mean it, then? Wanting to keep the baby?” God, she feels like crying. Why were her eyes suddenly tearing up without her permission? 

The Doctor practically looks offended. As if he could want anything else. “Of course! Why would you… Rose Tyler, you actually thought I’d—“

“Well, I don’t know! This whole situation is just so domestic!”

“So?”

“So? So! _ So _ it’s not something I thought you’d want!”

“Stop shouting at me!” 

Rose sighs, and awkwardly swings her legs. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, reaching her hand out to caress the Time Lords cheek. “You really want this child?”

He leans into her touch, nuzzling her palm. “How can I not? It’s part of you.”

“Part human, part Time Lord.”

The Doctor hums and a smile spread across his face. “Oh yes, and they’ll have your wonderful eyes and your brilliant personality.” 

Rose can’t stop the giggle from bubbling out of her throat. “Yeah? Well, I bet they’ll have your adorable freckles and amazing hair.”

“You like my freckles?”

“Mmh. Every last one.” Rose leans up and presses a kiss to his nose. The Doctor preens, his chest filling with pride. 

“Ya?”

“Oh, ya.”

“And the baby. Rose, I’m going, to be honest, I’m not sure what to expect with this pregnancy. No Time Lord has ever been… well, you know. I can’t say for certain what will and won’t come our way.” He reaches up to hold her other hand. “But, I’m not as terrified as I should be.”

“I’m right here, Doctor. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Quite right.” Rose, his wonderful, beautiful, brilliant Rose has always been with him through thick and thin. She’s seen him at his best and at his worst. She’s seen into his darkest memories and seen how wretched his soul can be. Yet she never once thought of running. She’s always been by his side, offering him support and love. 

No other companion has ever touched him like Rose has. 

“What would I do without you?” 

Rose rolls her eyes, but gets up and takes a step closer, bringing their chests centimeters apart. “Honestly? You’d probably get yourself locked up in jail more often. Rude as you are.”

“Ah. Yes. Well, there goes that moment.”

Rose laughs, her voice rich and light, and The Doctor can’t help but wind his arms around her hips, pulling her into a soft kiss. She responds almost immediately, her hands finding their place around his neck. 

So swept away with the feeling of each other’s lips, neither notice the golden light shining near the TARDIS doors, or the urgent push the ship is giving them. 

“Ack!”

Rose suddenly pulls away from an equally startled Doctor, both glancing at the redhead who made the automobile, loud squeak. 

The Doctor’s eyes nearly pop out. “What?”

“Who are you?” The redhead demands. 

“But-”

“Where am I?”

“What?”

“What the hell is this place?!” 

“_What?” _

Meanwhile, all Rose can think is: ‘is that a wedding dress?’


	6. The Runaway Bride Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I messed up, the last chapter was supposed to be called 'The Unexpected Visitor' and this chapter is the official 'The Runaway Bride Part One' 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Donna Noble. That’s the bride-to-be’s name. The very same bride who’s currently flipping out. Nothing The Doctor says seems to register with her. All Donna knows is that the tall, pinstripe-wearing man is an alien, she’s been abducted, and the blonde woman currently trying to calm her down is also, very much human.

“Did he abduct you too?”

Rose fights to keep a straight face. “Nah. I travel with him willingly.” She sent The Doctor a secret wink, and he responds with a knowing smirk. 

“Travel? What the hell does that mean?!”

“It means,” The Doctor interrupts, coming up behind the two women with an ophthalmoscope. He gently pushes Rose away and rudely shoves the tool into Donna’s face. “That I didn’t abduct anyone. Now, the question I want answered is how you got up here. There is no way a human being can lock themselves onto the TARDIS and transport themselves inside. Absolutely no way! Impossible, really. Some sort of subatomic connection perhaps? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chrono shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matric. Maybe a genetic--”

The Doctor isn't able to finish because Donna quickly connects her palm to the left side of his face. Rose gasps, watching as The Doctor reels back, holding his aching cheek. 

The Time Lord gives the bride-to-be a shocked look. “What was that for?”

“Take me to the church!”

* * *

When the TARDIS materializes back on planet Earth, Donna is quick to throw the doors wide open. She expects to be standing before a grand crunch, where her future husband awaits with open arms, but instead, what greets her is an alleyway. A dank, smelly alleyway.

“I said, Saint Mary’s. What sort of Martian are you? Where the bloody hell am I?”

Rose quickly moves putting her hand on the redhead’s shaking shoulder. “Doctor?”

But The Doctor is too busy running around the console, using a stethoscope to check his precious ship’s workings. “Something’s wrong with her. It’s like she’s… recalibrating! Rose, she’s digesting! Ah, but why? What have you eaten, Old Girl? What’s wrong?” 

He suddenly spins around, watching both Rose and Donna from the open front doors. Donna is stiffly moving around, coming in and out of view. Rose stays still, but her lips are moving, most likely trying to reassure the redhead. He could worry about Donna later; right now, he needs answers. Turning his back to the two, the Time Lord tries pressing a few buttons. 

“Donna, you’ve really got to think. Is there anything that might’ve caused this? I mean, have you seen lights in the sky, or did you touch something, like something different, something strange?”

Rose suddenly ducks back into the TARDIS. “Um, Doctor?”

“Or something made out of metal or-- who’re getting married to?”

“Doctor.”

“Are you sure he’s human? He’s not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?”

“Doctor!”

“What?” The Doctor glances over at Rose and notices she’s pointing to a retreating Donna. He yelps and speeds out of the ship, catching his companion’s hand and followed the runaway bride. “Donna!”

Catching up to Donna, the Doctor tries to get her to come back to the ship so he can run a few tests, but the redhead’s having none of it. 

“No way. That box is too weird.”

“It’s just bigger on the inside,” Rose says, “that’s all.” 

“No, I-- oh! Isn't that just great! Ten past three. I’m going to miss it!”

“You can phone them. Tell them where you are,” The Doctor tries, and glances over at Rose, who’s on the other side of the bride. All this shouting and running around blind, how would this affect the baby? Maybe he should let Rose take the lead on this one. 

Donna nearly stops walking. “How do I do that?” 

“Haven’t you got a mobile?” He asks, seeing Rose’s shake of the head and waving her hands that no, that’s not the right thing to say a bit too late. 

“I’m in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my sitting at Chez Alizon, the one thing I forgot to say is _ give me pockets! _”

The Doctor rubs his neck, ears ringing, and he can’t help but say, “This man you’re marrying. What’s his name?”

“Lance.”

“Good luck, Lance.”

“Oi! No stupid Martian and his wife is going to stop me from getting married! To hell with you both!” And just like that, the bride is on the run again. Rose is left giving her Doctor a slow shake of the head (for now, the endearment Donna uses has gone over both their heads). 

“Did you have to go and say that?”

“What?”

“She’s stressed out, it’s her wedding day, and she’s late. You don’t have to tease her.”

“I’m not-- she keeps calling me a Martian, Rose! I’m, I’m not, I’m not from Mars!” 

Rose sighs but closes the distance between them by pulling the flustered Time Lord into a hug. “I know. You're an impressive lord of time and space.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor wraps his arms around Rose, pressing her chest against his and burying his face into her soft hair. “Will you tell her that.” 

“Oh my god, are you pouting?”

“No!”

“Aww.”

“Stop it, Rose.”

“Never,” the blonde giggles, but her smile slowly slips when she brushes her hand over The Doctor’s stomach. “You doing okay?”

“Oh, you know me.”

“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m asking.” 

The Doctor turns a little red, embarrassed, and lowers his voice so only Rose will hear. “My head hurts a bit. Donna seems lovely, but blimey, she’s loud.”

“Ya, just a bit, but I like her. Think we’d be good friends in any other situation. Anything else?”

“...”

“Doctor.” She cups his cheeks, running her thumb over the area by his eyes, the skin wrinkling every time he smiles. “You have to tell me what’s going on with you, yeah? Or I won’t know what to do.” 

“Could…” 

“Ya?”

“Could you do most of the talking on this one? I can’t seem to do two things at once right now.”

“Of course, sweetheart.” 

The endearment sends a pleasant shiver down The Doctor's spine and brings an equally pleasant bright red hue to the tips of his ears. It isn't until they hear Donna’s shouts of annoyance down the road that they pull apart and run after her. 


	7. The Runaway Bride Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse for Donna and our favorite couple

Getting Donna to her wedding is easier said than done, but somehow all three of them manage to get to the reception in relatively one piece. Unfortunately, instead of people worrying about, trying to find the MIA bride, everyone’s dancing to Slade, under a large, glittering disco ball. 

Rose and The Doctor stand behind the stunned bride, staring down the room full of partying guests. 

Slowly, the music dwindles down as more people start to notice the silently fuming Donna. 

“You had the reception without me?!” She shouts.

A man, dressed in a sharp suit, and who Rose assumes is Lance, steps up. “Donna, what happened to you?”

“You had the reception _ without me?!” _

“An’ who’s that with you,” someone from the crowd throws out. The Doctor lifts a hand, waving. “Hello. I’m The Doctor, and this here is my Rose.” 

“Hello.” Hers come out a bit more shy. 

Donna turns to look at both of them, repeating, “They had the reception without me!”

The Doctor nods. “Yes. I gathered.” 

Suddenly, multiple people are crowding Donna, shouting and asking questions all at once. Nerys (someone Rose comes to dislike almost immediately) chides Donna, Lance keeps asking question after question, and Donna’s mother, Sylvia, has a hard time believing that the disappearing bit isn't some sort of elaborate prank. 

It soon becomes too much and Donna lets a sob. That shuts down any further noise and Lance pulls his bride into a hug, while people around them applaud (expect Nerys, and Rose arches an eyebrow at that). Donna continues to cry but breaks character only when she glances at The Doctor and Rose, giving them a wink. 

Rose holds in a laugh. 

* * *

Okay, so, Donna was never safe with the damper ring on, the robot Santas have no idea how to _ give up _ (exploding ornaments? Really? As if killer Christmas Trees weren't bad enough)_, _and Rose is slowly starting to feel the pressure of keeping everyone and everything under control.

As promised, she took over all the talking, allowing The Doctor to work out what to do and how to keep the redhead safe and alive in peace. 

Lance got roped into the whole scheme too, refusing to leave Donna in The Doctor’s and Rose’s care (er, he stuck around mainly per Donnas insistence, really).

It wasn't until the party of four descended into the Clemens secret basement level that Rose starts to feel an odd prickly sensation near the back of her neck, but she ignores it. Right now, Donna is her main priority. 

* * *

The day has officially gone to shite. That’s all Rose can think as she watches (horrified, might she add) a large, red, spider-like alien laughing maniacally while Lance (Donna’s supposed groom) holds an ax, his cackling voice mixing with the spider-alien's. 

The Doctor mutters a soft ‘I’m sorry’ to a still confused Donna, and behind them, Rose’s eyes widen. He knew. The Doctor knew about Lance all along! And… oh god, Rose isn't sure whether she’s more angry or upset. 

Donna can’t tear her eyes away and refuses to acknowledge what’s happening. “Lance, don’t be so stupid! Get her!”

“God, she’s thick. Months I’ve had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can’t even point to Germany on a map.” 

It was a low blow, and Rose can clearly see how much it chips away at the redhead’s armor. She’s slowly crumbling under the very real realization that her love, her would-be husband, has just betrayed her. 

“I- I don’t understand. Lance?”

The Doctor picks this moment to intervene. “How did you meet him?”

“In the office.”

“He made you coffee.”

“What?”

“Every day, I made you coffee,” Lance interrupts, his lips pulled back into a manic grin. 

When Donna still doesn’t understand, The Doctor put an arm on her shoulder. “You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months.”

“He… he was poisoning me…” 

Rose brings her arms up and pulls the redhead into a sideways hug. She may not have known Donna for long, but it's still surreal to see the feisty woman become so deflated. Donna grabbes Rose’s wrist, holding it like a lifeline. 

“It was all there in the job title. The Head of Human Resources,” The Doctor continues. 

“This time, it’s personnel! Ha!” Lance bellows. 

“But… we were getting married,” Donna mumbles. 

“Well, I couldn't risk you running off, now could I? I had to say yes. And when I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavor Pringle.”

Donna winces, another blow striking her hard. All Rose can do is hold her tighter, sending glares at both the Racnoss and Lance. 

Lance went on, complaining about his forced time with the redhead. “I deserve a medal,” he finishes with a cry. 

“Oh, is that what she’s offered you?” The Doctor shouts. “The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you, her consort?” 

“It’s better than a night with her.” 

“But I love you.” It’s the last thing Donna can manage to say before Rose feels something wet hit her shoulder. She feels her heart pang. Those words were a last-ditch effort, a hopeful phrase to maybe, perhaps, bring Lance to his senses. It doesn't work, and Rose can practically see the air around her grow heavy. 

All too quickly, guns are turned on them, but before they can open fire, The Doctor has the TARDIS materialize around them, keeping them safe, before making a hasty getaway. 

Right away, The Doctor is running around the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons, too absorbed in his words to notice the tears now freely sliding down the bride's cheeks. Donna stays in Rose’s arms, face hidden in the blonde’s shoulder. 

Rose has no idea what to say. Just like when The Doctor announced his pregnancy, she has no idea what to say. 


	8. The Runaway Bride Part Three

“We’ve arrived,” The Doctor announces, peeking out from behind the console, still quite wary of the crying bride. “Want to see?”

Donna rubs at her eyes, trying to wipe away the last of her tears. “I suppose.” But she refuses to let go of Rose’s arm. 

“Oh, hold on, the scanner’s a bit small. Maybe your way’s best.” 

The Doctor eyes Rose, the two exchanging knowing looks, and moves down to the TARDIS doors. “Come on. No human’s ever seen this. You two will be the first.”

“All I wanna see is my bed.”

Rose gives the redhead’s hand a squeeze, and the two women move to stand beside The Doctor. 

“Donna Noble, welcome to the creation of the Earth!” He announces, a bit over the top, and flings the doors open, revealing lumps of rock floating around a dust-covered sun. “We’ve gone back four point six billion years. There’s no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas.” He points to the golden dust. “That’s the Sun, over there. Brand new. Just beginning to burn. Isn't that brilliant?”

Donna glances around, eyes scanning, but her brow furrows. “Where’s the Earth?”

“All around us in the dust.”

Rose smiles and thinks that this warm feeling in her chest when seeing the amazed yet terrifying look in the bride’s eyes is what The Doctor must have felt when first picking her up, all the way back when he blew up her job. 

“Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We’re just tiny,” Donna mutters. 

“No!” The Time Lord exclaims. “But that’s what you do. The human race makes sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it’s being observed.”

“So…” Donna trails off for a moment. “I came out of all this?”

“Isn't that fantastic,” Rose says, nudging the bride’s shoulder. That earns her a small smile from the redhead. 

Unfortunately, things just go awry from there. The Racnoss manages to pull the TARDIS back to the drilling site. It was by sheer luck, and the Time Lords quick thinking, that they land somewhere relatively safe. 

It’s Donna who can’t help but ask, “but what do we do?” 

The Doctor grins, and uses a stethoscope on the Torchwood door they stand in front of. “I don’t know. I make it up as I go along. But trust me, I’ve got a history.” He motioned towards Rose. “Ask her.”

Rose smiles when Donna glances at her. “I trust him.” 

“See!”

Donna holds up her hands. “Okay. Fine. But I still don’t understand. I’m full of particles, but what for?”

“There’s a Racnoss web at the center of the Earth, but my people unraveled their power source-- erm, Rose? A bit of help here.”

Rose moves to stand by her Time Lord’s side, listening quietly and doing as he says. His instructions are whispered quickly as he hands over the sonic screwdriver, their fingers brushing along one another. 

The Doctor ignores the red tint creeping up along his cheeks and ears. “Where was I? Ah! The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss' were stuck. They’ve just taken hibernation for billions of years. Frozen! Dead! Kaput! So you’re a new key. Brand new particles, living particles! They need you to open it and you have never been so quiet.” 

Both Rose and The Doctor spin around to see that Donna’s gone, most likely taken by one of the robot droids the Racnoss was using. Rose holds in a curse, her grip on the sonic screwdriver tightening. 

“Oh!” The Doctor shouts. 

At that moment, the door unlocks and creaks open, revealing a robot pointing a gun at the couple. Rose jumps back, a small yelp escaping her, and The Doctor quickly flys into action. 

* * *

“I hate you!”

Lance rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I think we’ve gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart.”

Down below the two entangled humans, the Racnoss laughs. “My golden couple, together at last. Your awful wedded life. Tell me, do you want to be released.” A loud ‘YES’ is her answer, but she just rolls her eyes, a little put off. “You’re supposed to say ‘I do’.”

“No chance,” Lance shouts.

“Say it!” The Empress demands, smiling when the doomed couple crumbles under her command. She immediately throws her head back, laughing. “I don’t! Activate the particles. Purge every last one!”

* * *

Rose smooths out the cloak along The Doctor’s shoulders, creasing out any wrinkles and pinching off the lint sticking to the black fabric. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to do this?” Rose asks, picking up the robot mask. 

The Doctor shakes his head. “No, no, no. You have to save Donna. Let me handle the Racnoss.” He squares his shoulders and puffs out his chest, and while it’s usually to impress Rose (especially when a younger, more attractive male takes an interest in her), this time, it’s a defense mechanism. He doesn't want to recount the complete extermination of the Racnoss race done by him all those years ago. 

The Doctor feels it is his responsibility to confront it. 

Rose purses her lips. “Something your not telling me.” 

“Something I’d rather you not know.”

“Doctor.”

“Rose, please.” 

Rose bits her lip, stopping the barrage of questions she wants to ask. “Okay. No more questions.”

“Thank you, love.”

After helping The Doctor into his disguise, Rose rushes to untangle Donna and Lance. Only, when she gets close enough, she feels something in her stomach roll (where’s Lance? He didn't… Rose glances down into the pit before forcing her eyes away). From her perch near the spider web, she can see The Doctor and the Racnoss shouting things at one another. 

The spider-alien plays dirty, and her words strike hard with The Time Lord, Rose can see it from where she hides. Biting down her need to go and comfort her Doctor, Rose catches Donna’s attention and points to the sonic in her hand. The redhead nods, albeit a bit reluctantly, and the whirring sound from the device comes to life, working quickly to detach the bride.

Meanwhile, The Doctor’s pulling out red orbs and throwing them up, at the exact moment Donna swings down on a thick string of webbing. Rose winces when the bride lands in a pile of metallic cans. 

“Sorry!” She shouts, and thankfully, does not draw the Racnoss’s attention. 

Donna rolls her eyes but slowly gets up, just in time to see water start to rush into the room from all sides. She gasps, her hair plastering to her forehead and neck. 

The Empress swivels around, her eyes wide with fear. “_ My Children! My Children!” _

Rose slowly climbs down and finds her way over to the soaked bride. A shiver runs up her spine, the echoes of the Empress forcing her blood to run cold. She knew the Racnoss was… unredeemable, but it still made her feel queasy, watching the alien cry for her children. 

“Doctor,” Donna shouts, “you can stop now!”

The Doctor feels his chest tighten, and Donna’s words vegully register with him. 

“Doctor!” The bride shouts again, this time louder, her strong voice bouncing off the walls. “Stop it!”

But he doesn't want to stop. He gave the Racnoss a choice, and she wanted to take over Earth. She wanted to eliminate the human race and let her children feed on their bodies. Rose is human, and so is her mother, and Donna! All human! And his own child, they’d be part human. 

This is all for them. He wants them safe, healthy, alive! And if the Racnoss does not want to migrate to another planet, where she and her children can live in peace, then they (unfortunately) have to… 

“_ Doctor!!” _Donna growls. 

The Doctor blinks and looks down at both women below. “W-what?”

“I think we can leave now.”

Rose clasps her hands.

The Doctor feels something inside him ease, and by the time his vision and mind clear, he notices the Racnoss has teleported herself out. 

He clears his throat and motions for the girls to follow him.

  
  


* * *

Turns out, the army took care of the Racnoss’s ship, blowing it to bits. So, The Doctor piolets the TARDIS to Donna’s house, where he sees what he assumes is her grandfather and mother through the large window, hugging each other and crying. 

The Doctor gives Donna a quick scan. “Nope! All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you’re fine.”

Rose gives the bride a wink. “Told you you could trust him.”

“Ya, but apart from all this, I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of.” 

Something in The Doctor shifts, and his voice trickles to a low, apologetic murmur. “I couldn't save him.”

“He deserved it.”

Rose arches an eyebrow, and Donna sighs, shoulders falling. “No, he didn’t… I’d, um, better get inside.” She points to the house, where her family is. “They’ll be worried.”

“Best Christmas present they could have,” The Doctor muses, but his eyes widen a moment later. “Oh, no. I forgot you hate Christmas.”

“Yes, I do.”

Rose is already inching towards the TARDIS, eager to show Donna a trick or two. She eases the doors open, feeling the ship’s excitement bubbling around in her head. 

The Doctor folds a hand behind his back and counts down. “Even if it snows?” 

And just like that, Rose makes the TARDIS's lamp turn yellow and fires off a bolt of energy into the sky. Instant snow showers down, coating everyone in flakes of white. Donna yelps her laughter and does a few spins, red hair splaying out around her. “Hah.” 

The Doctor smirks, arching an eyebrow when he watches Rose rush past him, linking her arms with Donna, and the two happily spin around together, like children in a park. 

“I can’t believe you did that!” Donna says. 

“Basic atmospheric excitation,” The Doctor informs, nodding towards his Rose. “Seems both my ship and Rose enjoy seeing you happy.”

When the two finally stop, Rose shakes the snow off her shoulders. Donna gives the alien and his blonde companion (only she’s still convinced they’re married, what with how they oggle each other and all) a little shrug. “A perfect Chsirtmas.”

“And you,” The Doctor says, “So, what will you do with yourself now?”

“Not getting married, for starters. And I’m not going to temp anymore. I don’t know. Travel? See a bit more of planet Earth. Walk in the dust. Just… go out there and _ do something _.”

The Doctor glances over to Rose, who’s already got a golden spark swirling around in her whiskey-colored eyes. He wants to make sure it’s alright before actually inviting Donna along on a few trips. The tongue-between-the-teeth smile is all the answer he needs. 

“Wellll, you could always…”

“What?” Donna asks. 

“Come with us?”

“Come with… both of you? In that… that box of yours?”

“Yu_P_. Visiting planets and different time periods. Only if you want to. Said you wanted to travel, so we're offering.”

Donna glances at Rose, who nods. “Your choice,” she says, echoing The Doctor’s words from so long ago. 

“I-I’d love to, but for now, I just want to see my grandad and mum. Spent the rest of Christmas with them. Give me a few days?”

“Of course. Um, Rose?”

Rose digs around in her jean pockets and brings out her modified phone and throws it to The Doctor. He, in turn, hands it over to the bride, who arches an eyebrow. “Okay, I give up, what is this?”

“A mobile.”

“I know that you Dumbo. But why give it to me, innit your wife's?”

Wife? W-wife? Rose, his wife? My, that’s fantasy #45. He feels his ears turning red and rocks back on his heels. “W-well, yes, but I’m sure she doesn't mind. Rose?”

Rose, meanwhile, is still reeling from the fact that the Time Lord didn’t correct Donna. She blinks, clearing her head, and nods. “Sure.”

Donna leaves the two after that, and through the large windows, both Rose and The Doctor and see her hugging both her grandad and mum. 

“I think it’s time we left,” The Doctor whispers into her ear. 

“Ya. I think so too.”

  
  



	9. Quiet Night In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff. That's all what this chapter is. Fluff.

Rose went about making two cups of tea, dropping two sugars into The Doctors instead of his usual four. She pulls out a plate of grapes and sets everything onto a tray before making her way to the library. 

“Miss me?” She asks, thanking the TARDIS for opening the door for her. 

The Doctor, who’s already sitting in their shared loveseat, feet kicked up, puts the book he’s reading down. “Always.” He pats the stop next to him. “Sit with me.”

“Was planning on it.” Rose sets the tea and grapes on the table, and curls into The Doctor’s side. He loops his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and drops a kiss to her hair. “Quite a day.”

“Ya. We met Donna, crashed a wedding, saved the world.” 

“Hm.”

“And now, we’ve got a new passenger on board.”

“Welllll, not just yet.” The Doctor squeezes her shoulder. “I want a few days of you all to myself, I’m selfish that way.”

Rose laughs. “I don’t mind it.” She reaches up and ruffles his hair, making the brown strands stick out in odd ways. She bits her lip when The Doctor starts purring, silently pleading with her to keep scraping her nails along his scalp. Slowly, his eyes slide shut and the arm around Rose’s shoulders slide down to rest around her hips. 

“Doctor, your tea will get cold.”

“Mhm.”

“Doctor,” Rose giggles.

“You're so soft. Soft and pretty and brilliant and wonderful.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Of course not! I’m carrying your child, Rose Tyler. I wouldn't drink.” 

Rose shakes her head. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. I know you don’t drink, at least, not while you're pregnant.” She pats his cheek affectionately. “You are a brilliant man, after all.”

“Quite right too! I _ am _ a brilliant man. Genius, even.”

“Oh my god, what have I done.” Rose pushes at the Time Lord’s chest. “I’ve created a monster!”

The Doctor sticks his tongue out. 

“Your such a child, dear.” 

“Rose, why must you ruin all our moments?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, were we having a moment?”

“Rose!”

Rose giggles and The Doctor pulls her onto his lap, winding his arms around her for a bone-crushing hug. She squeals, her voice bright and happy and full of life. It makes the Time Lord’s chest feel warm and head all fuzzy. 

“You should really drink your tea,” Rose says, clicking her tongue.

“Right. Yes. Right.” He keeps her in his arms and leans over to grab his mug. The two spend the rest of Christmas night in the library, with bright red blankets draped over their shoulders.


	10. The First Of Many Symptoms

The Doctor bolts up from his dreamless sleep (Rose insists he sleep more ever since finding out about the baby), with buckets of sweat rolling down his forehead and back. Bile rises in his throat, his stomach churning uncomfortably and loudly. 

He tries to get up, but the room starts spinning, his vision coming in and out of focus. He puts out his hand, trying to find a wall to guide himself to the loo, but the bile rises further, and the sweat rolling down his hot body feels heavy and suffocating. 

The Doctor barely makes it to the loo before he doubles over and empties his stomach, holding onto the sides of the toilet for support. Pain creeps up his abdomen, squeezing his hearts and, unbeknownst to the Time Lord, tears start rolling down his hot cheeks. Breathing feels harder, and at some point, his respiratory bypass kicks in. 

Suddenly, there is a soft hand rubbing his back, and another pushing his damp hair away from his forehead. 

“Shh,” Rose coos, waiting until The Doctor finishes before grabbing a towel the TARDIS makes appear off the counter and wipes his mouth. She sends a mental thanks to the ship, feeling a buzz of gratitude slip into her subconscious moments later. 

The Doctor murmurs head still fuzzy, but thankfully, his stomach slowly tries to settle. 

“Rinse,” Rose says, helping the dizzy alien up. He washes his mouth and spits the water out, eyes still blurry with salty tears. 

“Rose,” he moans, grabbing blindly for her arm or waist or hand- something. She bites her lip and wraps The Doctor up in a hug, trying to rub away the tension in his shoulders. 

“Morning sickness?”

The Doctor nods. 

“Feeling better?”

“I suppose.” 

“Think you want to sleep a bit more?”

“Will you stay with me?”

“Of course, dear.” 

Rose helps The Doctor back to bed, pulls the covers up, and wraps her arms around his hips. He feels warmer, his natural cold body temperature momentarily gone, and there are occasional shivers and whimpers that escape the Time Lords sealed lips. 

“Relax, love.”

“Just… I’ve never been sick before, Rose. I don’t like it. It’s _ icky _.”

“No one likes being sick. I’ve been sick a bunch of times, and you’ve always taken care of me.” She leans up and presses a kiss to his sweaty forehead. “Let me take care of you. And really, you're not _ sick- _sick. Morning sickness will pass.” 

“I still don't like it.”

“Hmm. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths.” 

The Doctor does as his lover says, willing his hearts to calm and his body temperature to drop back down to normal. He pulls Rose closer and buries his head into her soft hair, breathing in the scent of chamomile and daisies. 

“I’ll be here when you wake up,” Rose promises. 

“I’ll hold you to that.”

He has to get up twice more that night, but Rose is there with him, by his side, giving all her comfort and love.

  
  



	11. An Adventure Gone Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite couple runs into a problem with the locals.

“You’ve got to run faster Rose!”

“I can’t! You’ve got longer legs!”

The Doctor nearly trips. “Rose Tyler! I’ll have you know that I have perfectly normal length legs!”

“Just move your gorgeous bum,” Rose shouts, ducking when a poison-tipped arrow sails through the air overhead, snipping a few strands of her hair off. “Oi!” She shouts at the natives, but The Doctor pulls on her hand, forcing her to move faster. 

Their day hadn't started out like this. In fact, it started out fine- great even. The Doctor took Rose to the planet Esspean, excited about showing her the sparkling lights festival. The natives expressed their welcome immediately, showing The Doctor and Rose the hot spots and big tourist attractions. Everything went pear-shaped when The Doctor decided he just had lick a sacred stone, unable to resist the smell of it (bananas, Rose! It smells like Pudean --a wonderful planet, I’ll take you some time-- bananas!). So now here they are, running for their lives. 

“We’re almost home, Rose!”

“Thank God! I don’t think my legs can keep going much longer.”

True to his word, the TARDIS comes into view after the pair run past the village gates. Her doors fly open when the two get close enough, letting her Thief and Wolf in before slamming them shut, blocking out the spears and angry shouts. 

The Doctor exhales loudly, leaning back against a coral strut. “We made it.”

“Ya… god, but my hair. They nearly took off a good chunk of my hair,” Rose mutters, fingers running through her blonde locks. A few strands are shorter than the rest, but nothing that won’t grow back in a few day's time. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-- I really wanted to show you the festival, Rose. Oh, you would have loved it!”

“Suppose I would have been a bit suspicious if we had a quiet evening out.” Rose smiles, tongue peeking out from between her pink lips. “Doctor, it’s okay. I mean, ya, I am a bit disappointed--”

The Doctor glances away, rutting the toe of his converse against the grating. Rose holds back a giggle. 

“--_ But _ you can always make it up to me. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, dear. Would you mind it if we popped in to see Women Wept.?”

“Ya?”

“Oh ya.”

“Bit romantic,” The Doctor fishes, rocking forward on his toes.

Rose winks. “That’s the idea.”

  
  



	12. Enter the Medical Student, Martha Jones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I really wanted to include Martha Jones in this story (because she’s a star!) but I haven't watched much of season 3. So, I’ll include the episodes I have seen and probably the finale.

Martha Jones hates cocky blokes who think they own the street, riding around all willy-nilly, not a care in the world for pedestrians trying to get to work on time. She wants to just give those jerks the bird, but she’s better than that.

Her day only drags on from there; she runs into an odd man who jabbers on about his tie, nearly gets run over by some guy dressed head to toe in black leather, and all but gets called out by her instructor. She huffs under her breath, fixes her hair, and follows her friend into the break room. “I need a drink after this,” she jokes.

Her friend, an Indian girl, shakes her head. “You and me both.”

  
  


* * *

Martha’s day goes from bad to worse in a manner of seconds, and right now, all she can do it watch as The Doctor and Rose rapidly try to figure out a way to expose the Plasmavore to the Judoon. 

Aliens. Bloody aliens! Martha still has a hard time believing it, but with all the evidence stacked up against her, what else is there to think? 

The Doctor suddenly cheers, grabbing Rose’s face in his large hands and presses a big sloppy kiss to her lips. Martha bites down a snort and looks away. 

“That’s it! Oh, Rose, forgive me, but you're going to have to distract the Judoon for a while. Martha!” 

Martha turns around, eyes wide and ready to listen. “Ya?”

“Stay with Rose. You two, make sure the Judoon doesn’t follow me. Not yet.” He gives the two women a smirk and wiggles his eyebrows. “Allons-y!” He shouts, voice full of _ something, _but Martha doesn't have time to determine what it is before The Doctor’s running off again. 

She turns to Rose, who smiles and takes her hand. “Bit exciting, isn't it?”

Martha doesn't try to hide her nod. 

* * *

After getting the Hospital back down to Earth, Martha bides The Doctor and Rose farewell, ignoring the empty feeling swelling in her chest. The adrenaline and adventure was something the medical student had not known she wanted till today. Still, asking to see more of space felt a bit like self inviting, and Martha is above that. 

So, she turns on her heel and makes her way down the street. 

  
  


* * *

“So, I like her.”

The Doctor blinks and glances over his shoulder from the console. “Excuse me?”

Rose giggles and leans against one of the coral struts, hands swaying behind her hips. “Martha. I'm talking about Martha, Doctor. She’s quick on her feet, smart, and she seems pretty excited about the whole alien thing.”

“And you want…”

“I think we owe her a trip. For all the trouble.” 

“One trip?”

“Unless she wants more.”

“Rooose.”

Rose walks over to the Time Lord and wraps her arms around his hips. “You usually like taking potential companions on trips. What’s wrong?”

The Doctor tugs on his ear and the air around him grows thicker and thicker by the second. “I don’t want to scare her,” he murmurs. 

His lover presses her lips to his pinstripe shoulder while the TARDIS sends out soothing whispers and tunes to both her Wolf and Thief. 

“I know it’s scary,” Rose whispers, “and I understand if you don’t want others to know.” 

The Doctor tenses and quickly stumbles over his words. “It’s not--”

“I know, love. I know.”

They fall into silence for a while after that, with Rose holding her Doctor close, both relaxing under their beloved ship’s soft music. 

“We don’t have to--”

“We can bring Martha,” The Doctor quickly interjects while his hand flys down to cover Rose’s. “I… just, can we just…” 

“Doctor?”

“Can we not tell her about the baby.”

“Of course, dear,” Rose soothes, her fingers brushing over his belly. “Didn’t plan on it unless you want to.”

“... Rose.”

“Hmm?”

The Doctor swallows thickly, his throat suddenly feeling swollen and unusable. “I- Rose, I… I lo-” The words, despite feeling them, are too awkward and out of place to voice. Frustration builds behind The Doctor’s eyes and he lets out a pitiful groan. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” Rose soothes, “it’s okay.”

“But, you know I feel it, right?” The desperation clouding his voice and words nearly breaks Rose’s heart. 

“I know,” she reassures quickly, “I know.”

  
  
  


* * *

…

…

…

It only takes an hour before everyone is fighting and Annalise is storming out of the Market Tavern. “I am not staying in there to be insulted!”

Clive, Martha’s father, and Annalie’s boyfriend, comes out after her, taking her hand in his in order to soothe her. “She didn’t mean it, sweetheart. She was just saying you look healthy.”

“No, I did not. I said orange,” Francine, Martha’s mother, argues, standing behind the couple with her arms crossed. 

“Clive, that woman is disrespecting me. She’s never liked me.”

“Oh, I can’t think why after you stole my husband.”

“I was seduced,” Annalise argues back, “I’m entirely innocent. Tell her, babe,” she says, turning to Clive.

The fight continues until Annalise walks off, with Clive following her soon after. Slowly, everyone disperses, and Martha is left to stand alone, taking in deep breaths, trying to wash away the exhaust filling her bones. 

“Blimey, they can shout,” a voice says.

Martha jumps, turning on her heel and- “It’s you!”

Standing behind her, hands clasped together between them, are The Doctor and Rose Tyler, both sporting mile-long smiles. 

The Time Lord rocks back on his heels. “It’s us!”

“We decided to ask,” Rose starts, “if you’d fancy a trip in our ship.”

“Oooh, that rhymes, love.” 

Martha rolls her eyes, but the feeling of excitement is back, replacing the exhaustion brewing in her moments ago. “I’d love to…” she stills, and glances over her shoulder. “But what about my family? And I’m a student, and I have exams and I still want to become a doctor.”

Rose hums, but her whiskey-colored eyes light up with golden flakes. “Have I mentioned that our ship travels in time too?”

It’s hard to resist after that.

  
  



	13. The Shakespeare Code Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this at 2am 👌 so I blame that on any mistakes this part might have

Martha holds onto the console, weary of the ship jumping and jostling about. “But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?” She asks. 

The Doctor dances around the two women, spinning and twisting dials and levers. It’s only when Martha asks her question that he cocks his head in her direction and frowns. “Oh, let’s take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don’t want to know. It just does.” He flips a switch and punches in a few commands. The medical student scrunches her nose at the Time Lord. 

Rose giggles. 

“Hold on,” The Doctor shouts, ignoring the two women. 

The TARDIS comes to an abrupt halt, and Martha, not expecting such a rough landing, falls to the floor. “Blimey. Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?”

The Doctor shrugged on his coat, fumbling with the sleeves until Rose comes up behind him to help. “Yes, and I failed it.”

“Not to mention, threw her manual out the door,” Rose hums. 

“Oi!” The Doctor brushes his hands down his front, fixing his tie. “_ Anyway, _I promised you, Martha Jones, one trip, and one trip only. Outside this door, brave new world.”

Martha grins. “Where are we?” 

The Doctor tilts his head towards the doors. “Take a look. After you,” he says, holding Rose’s hand, and instantly feels warmth blossom in his chest when she rests her head on his shoulder. They both watch as their new companion takes in the new world around her. 

  
  


* * *

The three time-travelers end up in the famed Globe Theatre, watching one of Shakespeare's plays wrap up. When the actors finish their last lines, the audience explodes with applause.

“That’s amazing! Just amazing!” Martha shouts over the noise. “It’s worth putting up with the smell. And those men there, dressed as women, yeah?”

The Doctor giggles. “London never changes.” 

“Where’s Shakespeare, then? I want to see Shakespeare. Author! Author!” Martha starts to cheer, throwing her hands up. “Do people shout that?”

Rose shrugs but throws a hand up and chants too. “Author! Author!” Others start to cheer too, and The Doctor shoots the two women traveling with his looks. “Well, they do now,” he mutters. 

Eventually, the man himself steps up onto the stage, hands outstretched before he’s bending down for a bow. 

Martha eyes him. “He’s a bit different from his portraits.” 

“Oh, but he’s a genius. A genius. _ The _genius. The most human human there’s ever been. Now we’re going to hear him speak. Always he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words.” The Doctor squeezes Rose’s hand, completely giddy. 

And then Shakespeare speaks. “Ah, shut yer big fat mouths!” 

The crowd courses with laughter, but The Doctor deflates a tad. “Ah. Oh, well.”

Rose brings their joined hands up and presses a soft kiss to his knuckle while Martha says, “you should never meet your heroes,” with a sigh. 

Shakespear makes a speech, addressing the next part of his play, but something catches Rose’s attention halfway through. She watches with a critical eye as the playwright stiffens, his gaze growing hazy before he throws his arms up again, and the spellbound look disappears. 

“Did you see that?” She whispers. 

The Doctor nods. 

“Looks like another mystery.”

“But we promised Martha a quick trip.”

Rose glances over at the medical student, who didn’t seem all too eager to go back home. “I don’t think she’ll mind. And for the record, I never promised her ‘a quick trip’.” 

  
  


* * *

After exiting the Globe Theater and agreeing to stay a bit longer, The Doctor, Rose, and Martha make their way to The Elephant, a courtyard tavern where Shakespeare lives. 

The girls follow The Doctor inside, watching as he gains them two rooms. “And Shakespear, where might he be?”

The person behind the front desk finishes checking off their rooms before pointing up the stairs. “Up there, having a drink or two with a few others. Go on up. I guarantee you’ll catch him.”

“Thanks!” The Doctor swivels around, shouts at Rose and Martha (there really is no need, they’re standing _ right beside him) _ before taking the stairs two at a time, the flaps of the trenchcoat flying behind him. 

“I probably should have asked this before, but is he always like this?”

Rose giggles, cupping her hands over her lips. “Ya. You’ll get used to it.”

* * *

“Hello! Excuse me, not interrupting, am I? Mister Shakespeare, isn't it?” 

Shakespeare leaned back in his chair and brushes a hand over his face. “Oh no. No, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs.” His eyes suddenly travel from The Doctor to Rose and Martha. “Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me ladies.” 

The Doctor arches an eyebrow and makes a show of slipping his arm around Rose’s waist. Will seems to lose interest in the blonde when he witnesses the possessive move and shifts his full attention over to Martha. A moment later, he’s waving the lads sitting by his side off. “You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go.”

Dolly put a hand on the two men’s shoulders. “Come on, lads. I think our Willaim’s found his new muses.” 

Burbage and Kempe were escorted out by Dolly, and the three time travelers took their seats around the table. Martha sat closest to Will, and The Doctor, refusing to take his arm from Rose’s wait, encourages her to lean on him. She does and subconsciously puts a hand over his belly.

“Such unusual clothes. So fitted,” Will observes. 

Martha has a moment of panic, trying to tap into her high school years. “Er, verily, forsooth, egads.” 

“No, no, don’t do that,” The Doctor cuts her off, having a brief flashback to the trip he and Rose took to Scotland. “Don’t.” He then shows his psychic paper to Will. “I’m Sir Doctor of Tardis and these two lovely ladies are Dame Rose and Miss Martha Jones.”

But Will keeps his eyes on the paper. “Interesting,” he muses, fingers tapping his chin. “That bit of paper. It’s blank.”

The sparkle is back in The Doctor’s eye, and he can’t help himself from leaning forward, lips pulling up into a giddy grin. “Oh, that’s very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius.” 

Will brushes the praises off, having heard too much of it over the years. Martha leans in too, but she’s rearing to argue, “No, it says so right here. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose, Martha Jones.”

“And I say it’s blank.”

The Doctor puts the paper away into his coat pocket before saying, “Psychic paper. Er, long story.”

Rose squeezes Martha’s arm. “If a person is too smart, the psychic paper won't work. Shakespear here must have some real brainpower going on to see through the paper.” 

“Psychic? Never heard that before and words are my trade,” Will says, “Who _ are _you exactly? More to the point,” Will’s eyes travel back to Martha, “who is your delicious blackamoor lady?”

The Time Lord and his lover exchange amused looks while Martha’s eyes widen. “What did you say?” 

“Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Africa?”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Martha hums, her cheeks turning a shade of red. 

“It’s political correctness gone mad. Er, Martha’s from a far-off land. Freedonia,” The Doctor makes up on the spot, and Rose hides her giggles behind her hands. Freedonia? Oh boy. 

A man wearing expensive clothes and a gold chain suddenly storms in, interrupting their night of leisure. The man’s name is Lynley, and he and Will get into a row about the play. The time travelers quietly watch up until the lavish man leaves, promising to end Shakespeare’s _ Loves Labour’s Won. _

It’s only mere moments later that the four remaining patrons hear someone scream in the streets. 

The Doctor wastes little time in running out, trusting the three to follow after him.

  
  



	14. The Shakespeare Code Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor gets pregnancy brain at the worst time possible and Rose is forced to step in, taking matters into her own hands.

“I don’t understand! There's something I’m missing! Lynley’s death was just so, so, so, so--”

“Unnatural,” Rose supplies from the bed. 

After finding Lynley collapsed on the ground outside, spitting up water, both The Doctor and Martha had determined (silently, to themselves of course) him dead due to drowning. The problem? The man drowned on _ land _ before a bunch of _ people. _The Doctor ended up telling everyone a little white lie about how the prominent man’s life ended, so as to not stir up any unneeded panic. 

Now, after bidding Martha goodnight, The Doctor spent most of his time pacing, burning a hole into the rug. “Exactly!” 

Rose giggles. “You need rest.”

The Doctor blinks, confused. “What?”

“You need to rest,” she repeats and gestures to the bed she's sitting on. “At least sit with me.”

“You, but, I… Roooose, I have to figure this out. I mean, there’s such a thing as psychic energy, but a human couldn’t channel it like that. Not how we saw. Not without a generator the size of Taution and I think we’d have spotted that.” He runs his fingers through his hair, tugging at the brown strands in frustration. “No, there’s something I’m missing, Rose. Think, think, think!”

Rose signs. “Maybe the culprit isn't even human.” 

The Doctor nearly trips. “Oh love, your brilliant!”

“No, I just used common sense. You’d have figured that out too if you only took a few hours to _ sleep- _no, don’t pout. Dear, you seem to forget. You're pregnant. That means you have another life growing inside of you.” She gets up to gently pokes his belly. “Do you know what _that_ means?”

The Doctor feels himself turn red and ducks his head, something akin to shame seeping into his bones. Rose tilts his chin up. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. Far from it. I love you, okay? All I want to do is make you feel happy, but I also want to make sure you don’t forget to take care of yourself and, by extension, the baby.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I know. I know.”

The Doctor ruts his shoe against the rug and Rose bites down on her lip to keep from snorting. “I’m not mad,” she soothes and wraps her daft alien up in a hug. “I love you, but your running so much faster than I am. Any other day, I wouldn't mind it, but now, you have to take a few steps back and just-”

“Rest?” The Doctor asks, shyly smiling. 

“Yes,” his lover grins, “Exactly.” 

“I should sleep?”

“For a little bit, yes. It’s good for the baby.” She pauses than her tongue peeks out from between her lips and she giggles. “_ Baby.” _

“Did- did you just call me a-”

“Yu_ p _!”

“Oh, oh now that’s, that’s just rude,” The Doctor giggles, “you, my dear, are very rude.”

“Rude and not ginger?”

“You remember!”

Rose rolls her eyes and slips back into bed. “Nutter. Come here.”

Having permission, the Time Lord crawls into her open arms while burrowing deep under the covers. He rests his head on Rose’s shoulder, bathing in the utter bliss of gold and warmth and… wait. “Hold on, roles are switched.”

Rose blinks tiredly. “What’s that?”

“You’re the one who’s supposed to be all curled up in my arms.”

“... are you pouting?”

“No.”

“Lier.” Rose leans down and presses a kiss to The Doctor’s forehead. “And for the record, we’ve been on this ‘role reversal’ thing ever since you announced the big news.”

“What?”

“Women from Earth are usually the ones who get pregnant.” 

“R-right, of course, I knew that.”

“Go to sleep, Doctor.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


It’s yet another scream that has The Doctor, Rose, and Martha up and running -jumping out of bed in the middle of the night, mind- only to find Dolly lying on the wooden floor of the hallway, dead. Will’s already on the scene, leaning over the woman’s still body with horror in his eyes. 

The Doctor kneels down, drawing his sonic out and shining it over Dolly. Rose tries to calm Will down, asking him if he saw anything out of the ordinary or heard anything strange. Unfortunately, he’d been asleep. 

The Doctor heaves an exhausted sigh and stands up, the lines around his eyes making him look years older. “Her heart gave out. She died of fright.”

Rose bites down on her bottom lip, holding in a gasp. 

Martha swallows thickly, but before she can say anything, something outside catches her eye. Her feet move on their own accord, pulling her closer to the window until she’s practically leaning over it. “Doctor?”

The Doctor turns on his heel and arches an eyebrow. “Martha?”

“I think… I think I just saw a witch.”

  
  


* * *

The doors to Bishopsgate creak open and the Keeper lets The Doctor, Rose, Martha, and Will in while holding a torch over his head. “Does my Lord Doctor wish some entertainment while he waits? I’d whip these madmen. They’ll put on a good show for you. Mad dog in Bedlam.”

The Doctor glares at the Keeper, rage making his blood boil. “No, I don’t!” He shouts, voice barely able to contain the anger festering deep in his chest. How can a human treat another human being in such a disgusting way? 

He feels rather than sees Martha reel back but doesn't know if it's from his outburst or at the Keeper’s attitude. Maybe both. 

The Keeper shrinks back, the color fading a tad from his cheeks. “W-well, wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the ladies.” He leads the small group down the corridor, and inmates can be heard howling and crying from all sides. 

Martha scrunches her nose and starts a low conversation with Will about the poor conditions of the so-called hospital. “So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain? And you put your friend in here?”

“Oh, it’s all so different in Freedonia,” Will mutters, but his voice lacks its usual strength. 

“But you’re clever. Do you honestly think this place is any good?”

“I’ve been mad.” It’s a shameful admission, but one Will feels he has to reveal in order to help Martha understand (or maybe its to help convince himself that this is the right thing to do). “I’ve lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose.”

Martha blinks, and tries to be considerate when she asks, “mad in what way?”

The Doctor, whos been eavesdropping this whole time, interrupts, tongue suddenly heavy “You lost your son.” 

Will nods, eyes downcast as memories flood back to the forefront of the playwright's vision. “My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn’t even there.”

Martha puts a hand on Will’s shoulder. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” 

Rose does the same thing with The Doctor, only her hand slips into his larger one, fingers locking together in an act of comfort and protection. The Doctor refuses to meet her eyes, but his hold on her hand tightens when they reach Streete’s cell. 

“They can be dangerous, my lord,” the Keeper says, “Don’t know their own strength.”

“I think it helps if you don’t whip them,” The Doctor hisses, venom coating his every word. “Now get out!”

For the Keeper’s part, he looks skittish and quickly scurries out, shutting the cell behind him. The Doctor takes a few deep breaths before making his way, carefully, over to the inmate. “Peter? Peter Streete?”

Will says something in the background, but the Time Lord ignores him. “Peter?” 

Peter raises his head only when The Doctor touches his shoulder. The gesture isn't enough to prompt the inmate to speak, so The Doctor places his fingers to Peter’s temples. “Peter, I’m The Doctor. Go into the past. One year ago. Let your mind go back. Back to when everything was fine and shining.” He lays the poor man down on the dirty cot. “Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches.” 

“Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered,” the broken man rasps, “They whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The fourteen walls. Always fourteen. When the work was done they snapped poor Peter’s wits.”

The Doctor leans in closer. “Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You’ve got to tell me”

“All H-Hallows Street.”

“Too many words,” a low voice hisses. The Doctor jumps and sees the others in the cell take a step back from the witch (who just appears out of bloody nowhere). Martha can’t help but grabbing Will’s arm, using it to ground herself from fainting. “What the hell,” she nearly screams. 

The witch ignores the medical student, her dark eyes glued to Peter. She raises a sharp, mold-covered nail and waves it in the air. “Just one touch of the heart,” she nearly sings, sick glee seeping into her demeanor. 

The Doctor connects the dots a second too late. “No!” He shouts arm outstretched to grab the witch's wrist, but it’s no use. Doomfinger has already shattered Peter’s heart with one touch and the broken man dies instantly. 

Rose covers her mouth. “Oh god.”

“Witch!” Will gasps, finally finding his voice. “I’m seeing a witch!”

“Bloody hell,” Martha murmurs, still gripping the playwright's arm.

Doomfinger suddenly fixes her gaze on the group crowding against the cell doors. “Now, who would be next, hmm? Just one touch.” Her eyes roam from Will to Martha to Rose, until they finally settle on The Doctor. “Oh, oh, I’ll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals.” 

Rose feels something in her flash gold and her vision starts to slowly melt away. 

“Let us out! Let us out!” Martha shouts when the witch starts inching closer. The Doctor frowns, his fists clenched at his sides. “That’s not going to work. The whole building’s shouting that.” 

Doomfinger giggles. “Trapped. Trapped, like little mice, you are.” 

The tension in the small cell builds impossibly high, and while he wants to rescue everyone, wants to get rid of this alien who’s so hellbent on shedding blood, The Doctor’s brain suddenly refuses to work. Panic blossom in the Time Lord’s chest. Why can’t he remember? Why can’t he remember how to get rid of Doomfinger? It’s there! The answer is in his head! He knows it. 

“Tick. Tick. Tick. Who will die first, hmm?” 

No one knows what to do. 

Martha and Will expect The Doctor to save them, The Doctor is frozen in place, his mind a wild mess, and Rose can’t seem to shake the golden flakes currently clouding her vision. She can still tell where the witch is, can still feel how scared everyone is, and… she takes a deep breath, the sudden hum of the TARDIS filling her subconscious. Warmth blossoms in her chest, feeling almost like fire, and gold light swirls around her brown irises like fireworks. 

When Doomfinger gets too close to The Doctor, her intentions obvious, Rose feels the TARDIS nudge her. _ It’s time. _ She listens and takes a step in front of the witch, who blinks in confusion. 

There's a collective shout of protest from everyone, but Rose ignores them. The music in her head is too loud and the warmth in her chest too strong. She points at Doomfinger, and says, in an almost ethereal voice, “Creature, I name you _ Carrionite _!”

The witch screams before vanishing in a large flash of light. It’s the last thing Rose sees before her body plummets to the ground, eyes sliding shut.

  
  



	15. The Shakespeare Code Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aliveeeee 
> 
> Sorry it took so long to update, but I hope the wait was worth it?

After tucking Rose into bed and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, The Doctor makes his way back into Shakespear’s study. He sees Martha sitting in a chair, legs tucked under her, nursing a large cup of beer while Will is trying to write something out on paper.

When Martha notices The Doctor, she’s ready with a platoon of questions. “What the hell just happened? What was that thing? How is Rose? Will she be okay?”

The Doctor runs a hand through his hair. “I… Rose just needs some sleep.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe I can check on her--”

“No!” 

Martha blinks but holds her free hand up. “Okay, okay, fine. Are you at least going to tell me what happened with that… that… witch?”

“Carrionite,” The Doctor corrects, “they call themselves Carrionites. They disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend.”

“Well, I’m going for real,” Will pipes up. 

“But what do they want?” Martha asks. 

That’s what The Doctor was afraid to think about. “A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft.” 

“But _ how _?”

“I’m looking at the man with the words.” 

Will blinks, only now realizing that both the Time Lord and medical student were staring squarely at him. “Me? But I’ve done nothing.” 

“Hold on, though.” Martha waves a hand. “What were you doing last night, when that Co- _ Ca_rrionite was in the room?

Will explains how he was trying to finish his play, and while he did, he can’t quite recall physically writing the ending. It’s then that the pieces all come together for the Time Lord. 

“Oh! That’s it! They used you. They gave you the final world like a spell, like a code._ Love’s Labours Won_. It’s a weapon. The right combination of words, spoke at the right place, with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play’s the thing! And yes,” The Doctor nods at Will. “You can have that.”

* * *

Rose scrunches her nose when she comes to, rubbing the sleep from her eyes lazily. “Ugh,” she groans, her bones creaking when she tries to sit up. 

“Shh,” someone whispers from above, and a hand is quickly pushing her back down. “Your body isn't ready to be up and about just yet.”

“Wha’?” Rose blinks a few times before her vision fully clear and she’s able to see The Doctor hovering over her, hand on her shoulder, keeping her pinned down to the mattress. “Doctor? What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Um, hold on.” Memories come back in chunks, but none that stick or make any sense. Rose groans, “feels like I got run over by a truck.”

The Doctor frowns. “Rose, I’m so sorry,” he whispers, the hand on her shoulder moving to caress her cheek. “This is all my fault. I should have-- I should have done something! Instead, I just stood there, frozen. Like a bloody child.”

“Hey, hey, no.” Rose grabs his hand, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. “Stop that, okay? Don’t do that. You were scared, and that’s normal-”

“But I’m a Time Lord!” The Doctor interrupts as if that’s supposed to be all the answer she needs. 

Rose sighs and tugs on his hand. “Okay. First, we aren't going interrupt Rose while she’s talking. Second, being Time Lord does not automatically make you superman. I don’t expect you to be invincible.”

“I should have protected you better.”

Blimey. This daft alien. Rose takes a deep breath before saying, “Dear, you won’t always be able to protect me- no, don’t interrupt. Sometimes, I’m going to protect you, like today, er, wait, no, that was yesterday? _ Anyway, _my point is, we protect each other.”

“...but you fainted.”

“Yes, and you were there to catch me. See? Teamwork.” She winks.

“Rose?”

“Hm?”

The Doctor autobally swallows, the words he wants to so badly spit out logging in his throat. He struggles at first, clumping the bed sheets between his fingers in both frustration and patheticness. Because this is what that is: frustrating and pathetic. He watched the love of his lives faint and yet he still can’t bloody say- 

Rose wraps her arms around the Time Lords waist, holding him close. “Take your time,” she whispers, sleep already trying to reclaim her. She’s halfway unconscious when The Doctor affectionately pushes her back down under the covers, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Sweet dreams, Rose.” 

* * *

After a good nap and a cup of tea, Rose throws herself back into action, following The Doctor and Martha as they race all over the city, looking for the witch who calls herself Lilith. The confrontation doesn't go as expected (honestly, when does it ever?) and it leaves The Doctor with only one working heart for a few terrifying moments. 

After kick starting the dormant heart, the three end up back at The Globe Theater, and with Will’s help, manage to banish the Carrionites, trapping them in a crystal ball for all eternity. 

Naturally, The Doctor plans on storing the ball deep within the TARDIS’s ‘junk closet’, where he hopes to never see it again. 

Now, he stands backstage, skull in one hand, a ruff fashioned around his neck like a brace. He waits, his body refusing to move just yet, and without thinking, he places his free hand over his belly. Still in the early stages of pregnancy, there’s no visible bump, but the skin under his suit feels warmer. 

It still fascinates him. Still scares him. Still hasn't quite hit home that the child growing inside of him is a product Rose and her love. 

The Doctor wets his dry lips and turns on his heel, cheeks warm and hearts speeding in his chest. Best not to think such things just yet, while still on an adventure. 

On stage, Will and Martha are busy talking (or rather, Martha’s busy listening to Will recite poetry). He spots Rose standing off to the side, hands positioned behind her back. A small wind messes up her already tangled locks. Soft evening sunlight dips down over the theater, creating an almost halo-like effect. 

It takes everything within The Doctor not to run up and snog Rose right into bed. Instead, he simply takes up the empty stop beside her. Rose glances up at him, and nearly doubles over in a fit of giggles. 

“Oi,” The Doctor chides, touching the tips of the ruff. “I think it makes me look rather dashing, eh?”

“Oh yes, as dashing as a bloke in a powdered wig.” 

The Doctor clears his throat, unintentionally gaining Martha’s and Will’s attention. “Good props store back there. I’m not sure about this though.” He holds up a skull. “Reminds me of a Sycorax. Remember them, Rose? Christmas day? Swordfight?” 

“I remember,” Rose giggles into her hands. “How can I not?”

“Sycorax? Nice word. I’ll have that off you as well,” Will says. 

The Doctor arches an eyebrow. “Blimey, I should be on ten percent. How’s your head, by the way?”

The playwright puts a hand on his forehead, fingers rubbing at the tender skin. “Still aching.”

“Here, I got you this.” The Doctor hands the skull over to Rose while he takes the ruff off and puts it around Will’s neck. “Neckbrace. Wear that for a few days till it’s better, although you might want to keep it. It rather suits you.”

“But what about the play?” Martha asks. 

The Doctor glances over at the center of the Globe, his gaze miles away. “Gone. I looked all over. Every single copy of _ Love’s Labours Won _ went up in the sky.”

“My lost masterpiece.”

Martha bumps Will’s shoulder. “You could write it up again.”

The Doctor rocked back on his heels. “Yeeeeah, better not, Will. There’s still power in those words. Maybe it should stay forgotten.” _ Forever. _

Thankfully, the playwright doesn't seem all that distraught about the ‘play that never way’. “Perhaps you’re right. Good thing I’ve got new ideas. Perhaps it’s time I wrote about fathers and sons, in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet.”

The name reveal gives Martha pause, sure she’s heard wrong. “Hamnet?” 

“That’s him.”

“Hamnet though.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Anyway,” The Doctor exasperates, nudging Rose when he notices she’s choking down another round of giggles. “Time we were off. Better get Martha here back to Freedonia.” 

Suddenly, something in the air shifts. Rose presses her lips together and see’s Will’s smile before anyone else does. “You mean travel on through time and space,” the playwright says, catching the blonde’s eye. 

“What?” The Doctor squeaks. 

“You’re from another world, like the Carrionites, and Martha is from the future, and Rose… well, I can’t exactly put my finger on it.” He winks at her. “But I’m betting she’s more like you than like Martha and I.” 

Rose taps her finger on her nose. “Oh, he’s good.”

“Incredible! Will, you are incredible,” The Doctor praises, unable to keep the stars from entering his eyes. Awestruck. That’s the only way to describe the giddy Time Lord. He’s properly awestruck. 

“We’re alike in many ways, Doctor,” Will says before his attention turns fully to the medical student. “Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady--”

The Doctor snorts. Rose elbows his hip. 

“--Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate--” Will was interrupted when Burbage and Kempe enter from the street. 

“Will!” Burbage exclaims.

“Will,” Kempe jumps in, “you’ll never believe it. She’s here! She’s turned up!”

Burbage points over his shoulder. “Her Majesty. She’s here!”

Before The Doctor can question the two fellas, fanfare and the famed Queen Elizabeth enter, pikemen on either side of her majesty. She surveys the room, her eyes sharpening when they land on the Time Lord and his blonde lover. 

The Doctor grins like a madman. “Queen Elizabeth the First!”

The Queen scowls. “The Doctor and Rose.”

The smile slips from his lips and a confused frown replaces it. “What?”

“My sworn enemies!”

“What?”

“Off with their heads!”

“_ What?!” _

Rose merely rolls her eyes. At this point, she can’t even pretend to be surprised anymore. 

So off they go, The Doctor, Rose, and Martha running for their lives from the Queen for something they haven't yet done. What a mad, wonderful life. 


	16. Gridlock Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... wow, it's been a while. This chapters kinda short, but I'm hoping part two will be posted sometime this week, so hopefully it's worth it.

“Just one trip. That’s what I promised. One trip in the TARDIS, and then home. Although I suppose we could stretch the definition.” The Doctor glances over at Martha, who’s sitting in the jump seat, legs swinging under her. Rose sat beside the dark-skinned woman, flipping through one of her alien art magazines. 

Martha grins in excitement, her dark eyes lighting up with a spark for adventure. Rose glances up when she feels The Doctor’s gaze upon her and gives him a thumbs up. Confident, The Doctor continues, “Take one trip into the past, one trip into the future. How do you fancy that?”

“No complaints from me,” Martha chirps. 

“How about a different planet? Eh?”

“Can we go to yours?”

Rose instantly feels The Doctor freeze, his hyperactive attitude dwindling down to something akin to sorrow and loss. “Ah, but there’s plenty of other places.”

“Come on, though. I mean, planet of the Time Lords? That’s got to be worth a look.” She nudges Rose, hoping to get her agreement. “What’s it like?”

The Doctor swallows thickly, his throat slowly closing up. “Well, it’s beautiful, yeah.”

“Is it like, you know, outer space cities, tall spires and stuff?”

“I s-suppose it is.” 

“Great big temples and cathedrals!”

“Yeah,” The Doctor hoarsly mutters. 

Martha doesn't pick up on the Time Lords destress, nor does she notice how tense and stiff he becomes. She’s much to enthralled with the idea of going to The Doctor’s home planet, especially after what she’s just been through. 

Rose decides to take over and places a hand on the medical student's arm. “The sky’s a burnt orange, with a Citadel enclosed in this mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, there's this um, oh, there's the mountains that just go on forever. Slopes of deep red grass capped with snow.” 

The Doctor closes his eyes, his brain momentarily at ease. He loves it when Rose describes his home planet. With her voice, it feels right. 

“Have you been?” Martha asks. 

“Me? Oh, no, no not me.” Rose shakes her head. “The Doctor told me about it, that's all.” 

“Can we go then?” 

The Doctor whips at his cheeks, and quickly spins around the console, doing his best to shove his darker feelings away. “Nah! Where’s the fun for me? I don’t want to go home.” Oh, what a lie that was. He’d do anything to see his planet again. “Instead, this is much better.” He jams a few buttons. “Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth. Second hope of mankind. Took Rose there on our first date with this face.” 

Martha arches an eyebrow, but The Doctor ignores it. “Fifty thousand light-years from your old world, and we’re slap bang in the middle of New New York.” He grabs his trenchcoat and dashes for the door after his ship lands, trusting his two companions will follow. “Although, technically it’s the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. Still, one of the most dazzling cities ever built.” 

Only, instead of grassy fields and Azul skies, what greets the three time-travelers is cold rain and a murky alleyway. Martha squeaks when the droplets land on her skin. “Ah! That’s nice.”

Rose giggles, staring up. She’s always loved the rain. Especially when she was a child. Dancing, running around, twirling under the cold downpour was a favorite pastime of hers. 

The moment The Doctor came out, he pressed a hand to each of his companion’s backs. “Come on, then. No dillydallying. Let’s go for cover.” 

  
  


* * *

The rain doesn't last long, and after some ideal wondering around, the three found themselves in a dinky market. Only… the sellers they kept shouting out moods. Rose frowns, staring between venders.

“They selling drugs?” Martha asks. 

“No,” The Doctor murmurs.

Rose frowns. She knows that tone of voice. It’s the one he uses when angry. Her suspicions are further proven true when a girl, all dressed in rags, walks up to a stall and asks for ‘forget’. 

She watches as The Doctor tries to intervene, Martha by his side, her big, brown eyes flitting between the two. 

The girl in rags stares the Time Lord down after he asks about her parents. “They went on the motorway. Everyone goes there in the end. I’ve lost them,” her voice quivers a little. 

“They can’t have gone far, you could find them.” The Doctor’s words go unanswered and before he can stop her, the girl applies the mood chip to her neck, instantly wiping her memory of her mother and father. 

She walks off in a haze, a smile tugging the corner of her dry lips up. 

Rose frowns, watching her form disappear behind a sheet of smoke. Beside her, Martha quietly whispers, “so that's the human race five-billion years in the future? Off their heads on chemicals.” 

No one gets a chance to answer. Suddenly, a pair of hands reach out from behind and grab Rose, pulling her flat against a strong chest. She screams out of surprise. 

Martha jumps, her own scream filling the air. “Oh my god!” 

“I’m sorry,” one of the kidnappers shouts, but who he's addressing is unknown. “I’m so sorry,” he repeats, pulling Rose backward. There's a girl by his side, holding a gun at The Doctor, who’s expression has melted into a mix of rage and fear. 

“Let her go,” he shouts, fingers flexing. 

The woman holding the gun steps forward, aiming at The Doctor. “I’m sorry, but we need her.” 

Rose, for her part, feels her brain shut down. She wants to fight, but the gas seeping up her nose feels numbing. She beats at her kidnapper's arm, trying to free herself, but he only holds on tighter. 

Not even ten minutes and troubles already crashed their day. 

  
  



	17. Gridlock Part Two

The Doctor growls, an animalistic sound that sends a shiver down Martha’s spine. She follows him back to the market. After losing Rose, they backtrack to try and figure out where the kidnappers have taken her.

“Open up,” The Doctor demands, banging his fist on one of the metal stalls. It opens, and a girl appears. “Ah, you’ve come back then. You want some happy-happy?” She’s all smiles and giggles and it’s chewing on the Time Lords last nerve. 

“Those people, who were they?” He cuts to the chase. “Why did they take Rose?”

Another vendor opens his steel door. “They’ve taken her to the motorway,” he informs.

“Looked like carjackers to me,” the girl says. 

“I’d give up now, darlin’,” a third chimes in, her voice softer, more understanding. “You won’t see her again.”

Those words fester in The Doctor’s stomach like acid. How many times has he come close to losing Rose? How many times has he felt this feeling? Dark and murky and suffocating. 

...Only this time, he’s not the only one losing. His child, growing up without their mum. He sets his jaw and his hands mold into fists. 

He’s so tired of losing Rose. He’s so bloody tired. 

“They kept on saying three,” The Doctor hisses, “tell me what that means.”

“It’s the car sharin’ policy,” the first girl says, “You get special access if you’re carryin’ three adults.” 

“How do we get there?” Martha asks, jumping in. 

The vendor tilts her head. “Strait down that alley. Keep goin’ till the end. You can’t miss it.”

The Doctor takes Martha’s hand, ready to pull her along, but stops mid-step when the first vendor speaks up again. “Tell you what. Buy some happy-happy, then you’ll be smilin’ my love.”

She has the gall. The Doctor’s dark anger comes back full force. He turns, making sure to catch each seller’s eye. “Take my advice, all of you.” His voice booms, echoing in the alleyway. “Pack up and get out.”

“Why’s that then?” One of them asks. It’s the happy-happy one. The girl whose smile still hasn't slipped. Oh, we’ll fix that. 

“Because when I find Rose, and I will, alive and well. I’m coming back and this street is closing. _ Tonight!” _

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Rose finally comes to, her eyes slowly blink open. The world feels fuzzy and… and green? She moans softly, turning on her side. 

Voices. In the distance, she hears voices. And they’re giggling and happy and oddly familiar. Her body feels off-kilter, and Rose reaches up when she feels plastic on her neck. Whatever it is, she peels it off.

Instantly, the rooms clears up and the fog is gone from her brain. 

Getting up is a little hard, but she manages, nearly stumbling. The gun the kidnappers used was laying by her side and quickly snatches it up. “Take me back.”

Both kidnappers turn, eyeing the now awake Rose. 

“Take me back to him,” she repeats. 

The girl slowly shakes her head. “That’s not a real gun.”

“Am I supposed to believe you?”

“Well where would I get a gun ‘round here?” the girl asks. “I don’t even know how to fire it.”

Rose frowns, fingers moving over the might-be-fake gun. It’s only now that she feels how light and plastic it is. Great. 

She puts the thing down, her chance at escape dwindling. 

“What’s your name?” the girl asks, trying to make some sort of small talk. Rose arches an eyebrow. “Why should I tell you?”

“You’ve not got much else to do,” the man supplies. 

He’s right. In such a small space, there isn't a lot for Rose to do, and she can’t very well jump out of a moving vehicle. “Rose Tyler,” she gives in. 

The girl smiles. “Well, I’m Cheen.” She then puts a hand on the man’s arm. “And this is Milo. And I swear we’re sorry. We’re really sorry. We just needed access to the fast lane, but as soon as we arrive we’ll drop you off and you can go find your friend.”

Rose silently stared Cheen down.

“I promise. Look.” Cheen moves her hair back, revealing an honest patch on her neck. “See?”

Rose tampers down her shiver. She really wasn’t liking the whole ‘emotional drug manipulation’ thing. “Right, okay. Ya, then there's the fact that you still _ kidnapped me.” _A sigh. “Where are we anyway?”

“Motorway,” Milo says, sparing Rose a quick glance. 

“And the fog?” Rose asks. 

“Exhaust fumes,” Cheen answers. 

Milo nods. “We’re going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air is so much cleaner there.” He reaches over to grasp his girlfriend's knee, rubbing his thumb in circles. “And we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town…”

“Ya, well, cause of me.” Cheen's cheeks turn a little pink. “I’m pregnant. We only just found out last week. Scan says it's gonna be a boy.” She’s so giddy, head tucking down, hair falling over her eyes.

Rose wants to stay mad. After all, this couple ripped her from her Doctor and Martha in such an extreme way. But now, after finding out that this girl, probably a little older than Rose herself, was pregnant… well, it drew a_ little_ of the fire out. 

Maybe some of that was due to the fact that Rose had her own child to think about. On that level, she could relate to Cheen. Wanting to do what was best for your baby... 

She signs. One problem at a time and seeing how the mother-to-be was still wearing that mood thing. Quickly, Rose pushes Cheen’s hair aside and rips the drug off her neck. “You’re pregnant,” she says in a clipped voice, “none of this.” 

With that taken care of, Rose turns her attention to the ‘streets’ outside the car. “How long till we get to where you lot want to go?”

“Bout, oh, six years?” Cheen says, counting off in her head. 

Rose nearly fell on her bum. Six years? That can’t be right. “Excuse me.”

“We’re going as fast as we can,” Milo says, “we’ll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyer and then after that, it’s gonna take a while cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads. But at least it's direct.”

“It’s only ten miles,” Cheen puts in. 

They’re still talking about this all like it's normal. Rose has to take a deep breath to calm her brain. “Ten miles in six years?” How’s that even possible? 

  
  



End file.
